


Gemini

by lesbiankavinsky



Category: Jane the Virgin (TV)
Genre: F/F, this is a pre-relationship fic just fyi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:09:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9039842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbiankavinsky/pseuds/lesbiankavinsky
Summary: Fill for a prompt from tumblr: parents meeting when they take their kids to class au





	

Jane has a good feeling about this day. It’s Mateo’s first day of kindergarten, which is kind of terrifying because it’s the longest she’s ever left him with someone other than a thoroughly-vetted babysitter, but he’s excited about it, and so she’s excited for him. Besides, she got a text from her mother about her horoscope, which apparently predicts new love coming for her this week. 

They arrive at the school with plenty of time to spare, which means she can take plenty of photos of Mateo with his little backpack standing by the flagpole outside the school. She’s putting away her camera when she sees a woman in the highest heels she’s ever seen trying to sprint across the grass after two girls in matching outfits. 

“Hey Mateo,” she says. 

“Yeah?”

“Do you promise to stay right here if mommy goes to help that lady for a minute?”

“Okay.”

She smiles down at him. Mateo is good like that. Letting go of his hand, she takes off across the grass and catches up to the girls easily -- unlike the other mother, she’s got tennis shoes on. Really, who wears heels like that the first day of kindergarten?

“Heeeey girls,” Jane says, blocking their path. They come to an abrupt stop and their mother arrives behind them, clutching a stitch in her side. 

“Thank you,” she says to Jane. “I don’t know where they get the energy. Anna, Elsa, you are going to school, I don’t care how much you’d rather be at the hotel.” She takes both their hands and together with Jane, they head back to the sidewalk where Mateo is rocking from heel to toe, hands clasped behind his back. 

Once the kids are safely in class, the woman introduces herself. “Petra Andel. Thanks for stopping the girls, I’m quite sure they’d be halfway to Cuba if someone hadn’t stopped them.”

“Well,” Jane says, trying not to sound too judgmental, “I figured it would be easier for me to catch up to them. With the shoes and all.”

“Ah,” Petra says, looking down at Jane’s shoes. “I suppose you’re right.”

Jane searches her mind for enough conversation to get them back to the parking lot. “You said something about a hotel?”   


“Oh, yes. My ex-husband and I own a hotel together. And yes, it’s a little awkward and all that but. We make it work. It makes sense. For business and all. And it means he can spend time with the girls. He, of course, thinks I’m still in love with him, which is ludicrous. I mean, he’s handsome and all, but honestly he’s not worth my time.”

This is really more than Jane meant to get into. She can’t think of anything to say, and her silence turns out to be a mistake, because the woman keeps going.

“But other women, you know, they fall all over him, they just adore him. So I think, what’s wrong with me? We have children together, I was with him through cancer, this should be a lifelong bond. Right? That’s how it’s supposed to go. Like swans.”

“Like swans?” Jane asks.

“They mate for life,” Petra says, sounding subdued. “But you know, I read this article recently about a pair of swans in Boston, in the botanical gardens or something. And they were named Romeo and Juliet because, like all swans, they mated for life. And people think this is so sweet. So romantic. And then they find out, both the swans are female. Lesbian swans! And all that night I couldn’t sleep, because it occurred to me, what if I’m a lesbian. These swans, they’ve been famous for ages, and no one thought to check that they were actually, you know, straight. And here I am, a woman of I won’t say how many years, and it never occurred to me that I might not be straight, either. And now I’m having a midlife sexuality crisis and telling people I’ve never met. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jane says. She still doesn’t know what to say, but she feels like she should say something, because this woman doesn’t seem weird to her anymore mostly she seems -- sad. “It’s okay you don’t have to say sorry. I’ve had my share of public meltdowns, believe me.” She laughs, and Petra gives her a weak smile. 

“Thank you. It’s sweet of you to say so.”

They stand in the parking lot, facing one another. Jane considers Petra, with her delicate makeup and light pastel dress, her high heels and perfect hair, and the absolute mess underneath which she’s managed to spill to Jane within ten minutes of meeting her. And because she’s always ready to make new friends, because she’s single and maybe a little bit lonely, because she’s the sort of person always looking for ways to bring kindness into the world, she takes the plunge. “Look, Petra,” she says. “I know plenty about midlife sexuality crises. Well, maybe not midlife. But I figured out I was bisexual when I was twenty-five. It can be tough. I don’t know if you meant it about the swans and the lesbianism or if that was a general, doubt about everything in life thing but -- if you want to talk, I can give you my number.”   


Petra actually visibly blushes at this, which Jane finds sweet. It also makes her think about that horoscope her mother texted her about. Maybe the stars really are looking out for her. Petra nods and says, “Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice.”

Jane rummages around in her purse to find a scrap of paper and a pen. She writes out her number and hands it to Petra, then, maybe because she’s feeling a lot of sympathy for her right now or else just because she’s really pretty, Jane gets up on her tiptoes and kisses her on the cheek. Without looking back she walks to her car. 

Behind her, Petra calls out, “I’ll text you!”

Jane jingles her keys in the air as she waves. “Do!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Angie for proofing!


End file.
